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Most people assume you have to lift heavy to see results, but what happens is they compromise their form in order to do so.

My tip is straight forward: Don’t lift more than you can handle, gradually increase but don’t compromise the form/technique in order to do it, because otherwise you will suffer a possible injury. It’s best to do increase the load over a period of time than to go in balls deep and hurt yourself in the process.

I am a huge advocate with coming to the gym with a “plan in hand”. Now for some of you, you already do this and for others of you, you don’t like having all the extra papers lying around or don’t like bringing your electronics to the gym with you BUT I am telling you, as tedious as it might seem, it is always better to come to the gym with exercises you already have planned out vs coming to the gym and having to pace around or stay on the treadmill until you decide what to do next.

My course of action is written the night before or the morning of the workout as soon as I wake up, because typically I already have an idea of what muscle groups needs to be worked on or have a program I am following and so having it written down will allow me to stay accountable and also allow me to keep track of everything. I have two whole notebooks full of workouts and tons of random sheets of papers with all my workouts since day one of keeping track of my workouts – I am able to look back on everything I have done (but I also have another purpose intended for why I do this).

Sometimes in order to get results you have to do trial and error and keeping up with your workouts will be helpful to you in doing so. I even have to track my eating habits come Monday, so I have an app for that and I am debating on having a notebook for it but that might be a little redundant (but helpful if I lose my phone, etc) anyways, the point is, when you come to the gym prepared it lessens the time having to think about what to do and puts more emphasis on the actual workout time, it might help take away some anxiety, it allows you to remain accountable, it will increase your likelihood of sticking with a program, tracks your plateaus, allows you to make new goals for yourself, and in the long run might serve as an reward for all the hard work you put in!

Do you track your workouts? how do you track them – paper or electronically?

So, today’s tip goes along with a particular exercise – the DEADLIFT! we might have talked about this before but I want to get it ingrained in your mind – WATCH YOUR FORM, DO THE CORRECT TECHNIQUE! If you want to lift heavier weight, do it the right way, because on your journey to being Mr/Miss “Badass” you will find out REAL quick that lifting heavy don’t mean shit if you can’t do it properly and safely. I love lifting, & like the majority of you, I love lifting heavier weights because it just feels so good and gives us that ego boost – you know I am right! lol. In the same context, there is no point in lifting heavy if I can’t properly do it and end up with an injury that puts me on my ass for months at a time because I thought I’d be a cool kid and not listen to Shay’s advice and lift it however the fuck I want. Well guess what buddy?! GO ahead and lift it however the fuck you choose, but when and if you should hurt yourself, don’t come to this post talking loads of crap about how nobody told me so, or “I have been doing it this way for years” or any other excuse that comes out like gas and smells because I will not respond with a smile on my face. If the weight is to heavy for you to do it correctly, then suck up your pride and put your ego aside and lower it and work up to it gradually.

If you are a personal trainer, you should know better and should be watching your client’s form and technique, no excuses because ask yourself, do you want your client injured? do you want the possibility of losing them as a client? NO, so pay attention!

Choosing your run style is what will create a better space for you when you get into the zone. I don’t particularly like running long distance and so I don’t force myself to in order to get results, I have found that as I have gotten older, I prefer short burst of speed vs long distance & it works for me because I am able to do it, see results and it challenges me. I will be the first person to raise my hand and admit that I am not a huge cardio fan , BUT it doesn’t mean I don’t implement in my workouts, I have to, so I do but I find ways to do it that keep me on my toes, make it more fun and challenging and gives me a reason to continue to utilize it in my workouts.

The point I am trying to get across is, running can be done in different ways, different variations and on different terrains. For those of you who LOVE running for longer periods of time, do it, and for those of you who hate running and would much rather run shorter periods of time, DO IT! because regardless of what style who you choose, it will show results. If you want to challenge yourself, add in hills, or intervals or resisted running. Not saying that it will change your mind about cardio or running but it can make it a lot easier on you when you find a running style that serves you best.

I mentioned my kind of running is sprints .. and I also enjoy interval running and resisted running when I am feeling up to the challenge. What is your favorite type of running style? and if I didn’t list it, feel free to add it in the comments!

To have a good “quality of life” is important for good health. We seem to always strive for a nice physique, for wealth and success – which is fine. But some of the more happiest of people, more healthiest of people, & genuine of people tend to have a quality of life that is rather amazing. When I say quality of life, I mean overall, how you choose to live your day-to-day, how you take care of yourself mentally and physically and the attitude you give off to others and the type of people you allow in your circle. All of which add up to your quality of life, and some people find their quality of life changes as they age and become more versed with the world and all it has to offer & become more picky as to how they spend their life. I want to strive to have a good quality of life, to have my priorities in order and be somebody that others can see that in the way I carry myself, my attitude and values.

Have you ever thought about what it means to have a good quality of life? what does it mean to you?